1. The Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the teeth cleaning with a length of dental floss and provides as its general object an improved device which is used to securely fasten dental floss and to render teeth-cleaning more effectively.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are many devices attempting to render flossing less tedious and make it more effective and convenient. Moreover, a growing number of dentists and orthodontists recommend highly for cleaning teeth daily by using dental floss to remove food particles between teeth. However, most people still don't floss daily, even those who take teeth-cleaning and dental care seriously. The inconvenience and discomfort for maneuvering the dental floss by winding ends of a length of dental floss around two fingers is the main reason. The winding ends of a length of dental floss around two fingers will not only cause discomfort on fingers but also render difficulties in manipulating in mouth. Although there are numerous devices with a predetermined length of floss fixed in two-pronged dental devices, maneuvering with two fingers winding a length of dental floss is still the most effective way of daily dental floss cleaning, especially for reaching and positioning between the rear most teeth, and is highly recommended by the dental profession. U.S. Pat. No. 4,950,470 to Miller (1977) provides a dental floss holder with an inwardly tapered slot extending along one elongate edge which does not fasten the dental floss securely in place to facilitate the manipulating of the floss in mouth. U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,824 to De La Hoz (1987) provides a pair of dental floss finger rings having three cut out prongs for retaining a length of dental floss. The retaining prongs are prone to cut the floss at the retaining point as a result of strong force applied during flossing. Also, the floss tends to be pull out of the prongs during flossing operation which requires different angles for inserting floss in between teeth at different positions.